Earthquake prediction, especially short-term and impending prediction, is a major unresolved problem faced by the contemporary world. The study of earthquake prediction has been conducted for several decades at home and abroad, yet little progress has been made. There are four gaseous rings around the earth, plus the atmosphere ring outside the earth, make altogether five gaseous rings around the earth, which are interactive. Before the occurrence of an earthquake, the rock stratums around a large area are under pressure, fissure occurs, thus releasing large amount of gases, such as CH.sub.4, CO.sub.2, CO, H.sub.2, H+, He and H.sub.2 O from deep within the globe. The result is the temperature increase in low-atmosphere areas or the temperature decrease at the cloud layer. Experiments have been conducted by the inventor since October 1989 and successful predictions were made upon analysis of hundreds of earthquakes. A whole new way of earthquake prediction is thereby created based on data obtained from the American NOM with infrared waveband scanners, the geosynchronous satellite GMS of Japan and the wind-cloud No. 1 and No. 2 satellite of China, wherein the orbit of the polar satellite covers an area of 2,800 km in width and several thousands kilometers in length and that of a meteorological map of the geosynchronous satellite is 6,000.times.10,000 sq.km. Such a scanning map via satellite can be obtained in one hour. Both types of satellites are capable of collecting brightness temperature data. NOM has brightness temperature resolution as high as 0.5.degree. C. and GMS has higher temporal resolution.